Apple working on physical game controller for iPads and other iOS devices

With Google's Android operating system already bundling rudimentary support for external gaming devices, Apple is reportedly working on its own physical controller to similarly enhance gameplay on its iPad and other mobile devices.

In his review of Apple's new iPad and its gaming graphics prowess, AnandTech's Anand Lal Shimpi reports that he has been made aware of "an internal Apple project to bring a physical controller to market," but said his sources were unable to determine whether the company has made a definitive decision to follow through on its efforts.

Regardless, Lal Shimpi believes such devices may soon be a necessary accompaniment for hardcore mobile gamers, especially as smartphones and tablets come close to equalling the performance of existing game consoles.

He adds that the iPad maker may also be feeling some pressure to this end from rival Google, which has baked in basic wired and wireless controller support into its Android operating system since the release of Honeycomb 3.0 roughly one year ago.

Along with their Android counterparts, iOS devices have emerged as a new frontier for game developers, with one research firm indicating that the two platforms saw their combined share of U.S.-based game software revenue rise more than threefold from just 19% in 2009 to an estimated 58% by the end of last year.

Their success has come at the expense of incumbents Nintendo and Sony, who saw their respective share of software sales slip from 70% to 36% and 11% to 6%, respectively, over the same period.

ThinkGeek's $25 iCade 8-Bitty is one example of a third-party iPad gaming controller already on the market.

The situation faced by Nintendo and Sony shows signs of worsening this year, with Sony recently reporting a staggering loss of $1.2 billion for the December quarter shortly after Nintendo reported the first ever operating loss ($575 million) in its corporate history.

Meanwhile, Apple has quietly been assembling an arsenal of seasoned gaming executives to help leverage its momentum in the gaming space as it takes a head-on approach to combating encroachment from Google and others.

Most recently, the company was reported to have lured Robin Burrowes away from heading up Microsoft's overseas XBox Live team. His hiring followed the recruit of Nintendo's public relation's chief Robert Saunders last year, as well as Nick Grange — who also at one point ran public relations for Xbox, as well as for gaming heavyweights Activision and Electronics Arts.

That's pretty much the only way it makes sense to me, because if you're using the iPad as the screen then I think it would become rather cumbersome to have to hold both the iPad and the game controller, or to have the game controller connected to the iPad.

I guess you could put the iPad on a stand and treat it like a mini-TV, but that seems contrary to what an iPad is designed to be (aka, a mobile device).

Awesome! I hope this controller has a capacitive touchscreen -- what could be better and more intuitive in a game than using your fingers! A big Retina display screen would make this game controller irresistible!

If I want games on my tv I will buy a console which are quite cheap right now and include a controller and have plenty of inexpensive games to play.

iPad games would be cheaper than even $20 360 games but you can't trade them in and most weren't created with anywhere near the same budget.

The iPad setup would be a hassle too. Streaming games to the ATV introduces lag into the equation and the result is a game that doesn't feel that tight and crisp. And you have to plug your iPad into an outlet much of the time as the battery would drain fast in games.

Then you have to question just how much developers cater to a controller when much of the install base won't bother buying one.

An iPad is also $500+. Then you are asked to buy the ATV or a special HDMI cable plus a controller which will probably be $50 at least.

On top of it we will see new consoles starting this year with the Wii U and the year after will probably see the 360 launch and maybe the PS3. That is when this iPad as a games console talk will fade away.